Telegraph apparatus



May 20, 1930. H w. s. TERRIBERRY 1,759,025

TELEGRAPH APPARATUS 1 Filed Nov. 15, 1927 A //VVENTOR WAR/PEA/i ERR/555?) ATTORNEY Patented May 20, 1930 .7

UNH'ED STATES ra'rs nrorrice WARREN S. TERRIBERR-Y, OF SAN LEANDEO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR' TO AMERICAN TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK TELEGRAPH APEARATUS Application filed November 15, 1927. Serial No. 233,411.

This invention relates to printing telegraph apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for maintaining secret printed messages received on monitoring printers at repeater stations.

Monitoring printers are used at repeater stations for checking the operation of printer leases and for observation of the operation of the apparatus. The printed record often relates to private business affairs of the patrons of the telegraph company and it is therefore desirable that the printed messages be kept as secret as possible from persons unauthorized to receive them. At the present time this is accomplished by having only the last few lines of the printed message visible and keeping the printed record locked up. The accumulated copy is later removed and destroyed by an authorized employee of the 2 telegraph company.

In order to prevent unauthorized persons from reading printed messages received I propose to use in connection with the monitoring printer apparatus at repeater stations an apparatus which will perforate the tape or page on which the message is printed and will blot out any portions of the printed characters remaining on the message tape or page after it has been perforated.

The device which I have invented is an attachment which will be attached to any of the standard types of printer telegraph machines now used for recording messages and will be located at any convenient point he tween the place on the machine where the printed message is first visible to an observer and where it passes from the printing machine.

This device comprises principally a perforator which will perforate the printed record preferably a line at a time and press the printed surface of the record against an ink pad to blot out any of the printed characters or portions thereof not punched out by the perforating device.

To illustrate this invention I have shown it in the accompanying drawing as applicable to a page printer with a. platen roll and type bars. It is obvious of course, that this type of message obliterating apparatus could be applied to any other form of massage printing device and such application is considered to be; entirely within the scope of my invention.

To more clearly describe this invention reference will now be made to the various parts illustrated in the single figure of the attached drawing.

1 is a tape or record sheet on which the message is printed, 52 is a platen roll over which the record sheet is stretched, 3 is a type bar striking the record sheet and recording thereon one of the characters used in printthe message record, 4 isa perforating device operating as a plunger and carrying per: forator pins or teeth 5, to punch holes in the printed record 1, 6 is an ink pad composed of felt or like material capable of absorbing and holding ink and receiving the ends of the perforator pins or it may be a substantially hard substance over the face of which ink is distributed and having perforations to receive the ends of the perforator pins, 7 is a cam to bear against the perforator plunger 4 and press the perforator pins 5 through the printad record 1 and force the printed record 1 against the ink pad 6. The cam 7 is attached through an operating lever 8 to the plunger 9 [of a suitable electromagnetic device 10 which is timed and controlled to operate preferably each time the platen roll 2 is rotated by its rotating apparatus, not shown, to move the printed record sheet the space of one line, 11 are paper guides to guide the record sheet from the point at which it is printed through the message record obliterating devices to the exterior of the printing machine.

WVhile I have shown a cam and a lever system with an electromagnetic device to operate the perforator any other mechanical or electrical apparatus found adaptable to operate the perforator might be used without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. 7

What is claimed is:

1. In a printing telegraph system in combination a message recording means, and perforating and depositing means associated therewith for making contact with and obliterating a received message.

2. In a printing telegraph system in combination a message recording means, a mes sage record produced thereby, and perforating and blot depositing means associated with the receiving printer for making contact with and obliterating the message record after it has been noted.

3. In a printing telegraph system, in combination message recording means, a message record produced thereby and message obliterating means comprising perforating and inking means adapted to receive the message record as it passes from the receiving printer.

4?. In a printing telegraph system in combination, a message recording means, a message record'produced thereby, combined perforating and blot forming message obliterating means, means for guiding the message record into said obliterating means, and means associated with said message recording means for operating said obliterating means.

5. In a printing telegraph system in combination, message recording means, a record produced thereby, combined perforating and inking means for obliterating the message record, and means controlled by the message recording means for operating said perforating and inking means.

6. In a printing telegraph system in combination, message recording means, a message record, message obliterating means comprising perforating and inking apparatus, guiding means for passing the messagerecord from the recording means to the obliterating means and electromagnetic means controlled in the operation of the message recording means to operate the obliterating means.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 8th day of November, 1927.

WARREN S. TERRIBERRY. 

